Time pervading into eternity. The reflections on the poetic works of Fr. Piotr Stanisław Głowacki

Abstract

The article presents the poetry of Fr. P.S. Głowacki, Ph. D., which consists of poems published in magazines, almanacs and in 4 volumes of poetry. The discussed subject matter of the poems is: diagnosis of the contemporary man’s spirituality, his relationship with God and neighbour, contemplation of nature which leads to an openness to transcendence, a deeper experience of ecclesiastical feasts and mysteries of faith, reflections on moral categories and ars bene moriendi. The paper displays inspirations and dialogue presented by views of St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross, S. Kierkegaard and St. John Paul II. As far as the artistic form is concerned, it was established that the poems employ the poetics characteristic of contemporary compositions, i.e. they are usually stychic, with irregular rhythm and rhymes, similar to blank verses. Saturation of artistic expressions, typical of Fr. Głowacki’s early stage of the poetry (the use of extensive metaphorics, comparisons, multiplicity of epithets, etc.) was replaced by more ascetic forms in later poems, which aimed to emphasize the discursive aspect of the works. The author eagerly uses constructions with a paradoxical overtone, which ranks his work in the current of Polish religious poetry, which includes such outstanding masters as: M. Sęp Szarzyński, F. Karpiński, C.K. Norwid, L. Staff, J. Liebert, B. Ostromęcki or Fr. J. Twardowski.